Tomorrow
by Mrs. HopeEstheim
Summary: Erza could remember all the days when she never wanted tomorrow to come, but this wasn't one of them. Erza/Jellal, drabble series.
1. Maybe Tomorrow

Erza Scarlet was not known for liking guys in _that_ sense. Sure, when she was younger it was briefly bandied about that she was crushing on Laxus, but who wouldn't? And even before that, those who cared about their 'sister' recognized that she like another of their number. Sho, Milliana, Wallly, and Simon…they all had noticed that she, when they were young, had been head over heels for Jellal. Even so, Simon had cared for her, and when they were older had _died_ to help her.

Things had changed so much within their small group, yet things had not changed at all.

Changes? They were all older now, of course. And they had all found a type of magic they could use. Jellal had been possessed but was now back to normal, rotting away in a cell. Simon…oh, Simon. Simon had died so that Erza and her comrades might live…hadn't he? Even after all that time, he still loved her.

And that was the first thing that hadn't changed, Simon's love. Milliana loved cats; she'd always loved them, even as a little girl who couldn't have such luxuries as owning a pet. That hadn't changed, either. Wally…well, neither had he. Sho had been pushed and pulled in different directions, confused as to what he should believe, but still he felt a brotherly bond towards Erza. After all those years, the deceit caused by the possessed Jellal, perhaps the biggest thing that hadn't changed were Erza's feelings for the blue-haired man.

Over the years between his betrayal while he was possessed and between their reunion (also while he was possessed), she found her thoughts straying to him often. She knew she shouldn't, but she just couldn't help it. She thought liking Laxus would dull the pain of betrayal, but it hadn't quite worked. While being a member of the famously infamous Fairy Tail had blunted the edge, dulled her pain, it still could not take it away or heal her completely.

She was a broken shell, listless and lifeless.

Or so she had thought. With her teammates Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy, she felt at home again. As if she could finally be happy once more. It had been a long time since she felt that way. And when they ran into Jellal again, stopping Nirvana, they had all been prepared to put their lives on the line to protect him from the council. He was free from the possession; he was his own man again. But he _wanted_ to repent, and who was Erza, even as the love struck fool she was, to protest his decision? And so she had let him go, let that foolish council take him and incarcerate him and maybe someday in the future, execute him.

She hoped the execution would never happen.

Yet now, as she stared across the waters from one of her rooms, she couldn't help but feel an odd mixture of relief and fear and doubt. It had been seven years, a powerful magic number, and the new council (with Fairy Tail sympathizer Mest as its head) had announced that Jellal would be freed on the condition that Fairy Tail would take him in for at least three years. And as forgiving as they all were, and at the urging of all of Erza's team and Wendy, the guild agreed.

Tomorrow, Erza and company would set out to retrieve her blue-haired friend from the council. Tomorrow, a new era in Fairy Tail would begin.

Tomorrow, perhaps the broken woman would be renewed.

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><p><strong>I'm sorry if it's not very good. Drabble-ish; my first ErzaJellal. I hope it's okay, for being so short.**

**I've never read any Erza/Jellal fics; I really want to, but haven't gotten around to it.**

**At any rate, I'll end this here with a thank you for reading, and tell me what you think I could do better! Thanks!**

**All Fairy Tail things are © of the marvelous Hiro Mashima.**


	2. Isn't That What Tomorrow's For?

**Thank xporcelain for this, because she suggested it be a drabble series, so here's the second drabble. Hope you like!**

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><p>She was a broken woman, but he was a broken man. And maybe that was a good thing.<p>

As she led him away from his prison, she told him to lean on her if he needed to and that she would always be there for him. She, the nearly invincible Erza Scarlet, would not show him just how vulnerable she was, even if Jellal knew it already. And Jellal, for his part, walked with his head held as high as he could hold it.

Side by side, just as they should have always been.

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><p>The man with the blue hair was slightly feared by a very small number of Fairy Tail mages. Seeing the trust that Erza's teammates showed in him, however, was quite enough for many. Never in their memory had Team Natsu placed their trust in the wrong people.<p>

Erza was thankful that her guild could be so forgiving.

It pained the redheaded beauty to have to keep a careful eye on Jellal. He was trustworthy; they need not be so worried. But it was the council's order, and Jellal thought if it as a part of his repentance. And so they observed his behavior as they were told to and reported back to that circle of thrice-blasted fools once a month.

Whenever the famous Titania went on her missions, she would bring him along. Team Natsu would do the same. It became apparent that the young man was determined to right his wrongs, but he was also determined to help out in any way he could. He was a very handy person to have on the team when a battle became almost impossible, when even Natsu couldn't find the juice to power up one more time.

Slowly, three months had passed in this manner. Mirajane offhandedly asked Jellal if he planned to stay with Fairy Tail even after the council's allotted time was up. Without hesitating or thinking, he had immediately replied, "If you'll have me."

Jellal was then officially branded as a member of the guild.

Erza's heart warmed as those she had known as she grew up crowded around her childhood love. They were full of congratulatory remarks and words of wisdom from those who were veteran members. Everyone had something to say to their newest nakama, and Erza swelled with pride.

Fairy Tail…the ex-quip mage couldn't think of a single place she'd rather be than with her so-called guild. Everyone knew Fairy Tail was more like one huge family than a guild, anyway.

During the fourth month of Jellal's time in the guild, he sought the Titania out to say four simple words.

"I'm sorry for everything."

She knew without any further explanation that he was apologizing for his past misdeeds, and although they were sentimental and childish, tears filled her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to care much about it. Erza smiled through them and pulled the man she had once loved–might still love–into a tight embrace.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Jellal," she replied softly, her head resting on his shoulder. "None of it matters. You're one of us now and you've been forgiven. That's all that really counts."

The repentant man allowed his arms to fall around her in a tender mocking of a lover's embrace and they stood as one for a long time afterwards.

It's funny how just a simple embrace can bare two people's hearts as entirely to each other as it did to those two. Erza knew he was broken; Jellal knew she was broken. And somehow that was okay, because they both knew that with a bit of time, they could fix each other.

And after all, isn't that what tomorrow was for?

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><p><strong>Drabbles always look too short to me. Haha.<strong>

**Without author's notes or dividing lines, this one is only 617 words long. It kills me to have something so short, but it is a drabble series, so it should be fine.**

**Haha. Thanks for reading! **


	3. There's Always Tomorrow

**Here's the third drabble-chapter. Hope it's okay! I just felt like writing something, **_**anything**_**, today. **

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><p>Tomorrow.<p>

Erza was beginning to find that she rather liked the thought of tomorrow. No matter how bad things got, _tomorrow_ would still be there. Things could get better and fix themselves, gluing the fragile pieces of those who were broken in previous days back together. They always said that time would heal all wounds, and for the first time in a very long time, Fairy Tail's Titania was starting to believe it.

"Erza," Mirajane called from the bar, waving the scarlet-haired woman over. The armored Erza stood and walked over to the takeover mage, leaving Jellal pondering over a book that Levy had leant him.

"Yes?" she asked the white-haired woman, and Mira looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"They want this month's report by tomorrow, Erza," she said softly, and the redhead stiffened, having forgotten about the foolish papers in the days she spent going on jobs with her long lost childhood friend and love. She'd spent so much time enjoying his company and getting him to open back up to her, trying to get him to forget all the wrong he'd done in the past because he'd already atoned for it, and then some.

A gentle hand fell on her arm, and she jumped, ready to whip out a sword and cut her attacker to shreds, before she realized it was Lucy, looking at her with such gentle eyes that it made her heart hurt. Just like thinking of Jellal's past hurt.

"I'll write it this month, if you'd like," the blonde offered, taking her hand slowly off of her friend's arm. "It's not a problem. All the jobs he's been on have been the entire team. It doesn't matter that we've been separated; the council doesn't need to know."

"Would you…?" Erza asked, blinking incredulously at the chocolate eyes looking back at her. Of course she would, Erza scolded herself silently. Lucy was almost too kind for her own good.

"I can have it done in a half an hour," Lucy promised, then smiled kindly at the redhead. "Don't even lift a finger for that report tonight, Erza. You've done every single one so far. I think you need a break–in fact, why don't you and Jellal go out to dinner tonight to catch up some more? It can't be easy to bond around all of this," the blonde waved her hand around her head just as Gray's back busted a table and Natsu started to laugh. It was the beginning of one of their nearly daily fights.

The Titania knew then that the blonde was trying to get her to ask Jellal out on a _date_, but she couldn't find heart to be offended or anything right now, because she wanted that bonding time with him. Erza wanted it so much that she was surprised, but she couldn't deny the facts.

"Maybe," she mused, then turned a gentle smile on Lucy and said, "Thank you."

Erza didn't even look to see the faces of the two women she'd left behind. She just walked back to the table she'd been sitting at with Jellal, who was still engulfed in his reading, and continued to eat the half a slice of cake she had left.

Her cake inevitably went flying, and for that Natsu and Gray had to pay, but it was only as the afternoon usually went. But Erza did choose to go with Lucy's suggestion, so at about six, Erza pulled Jellal out of his seat and toward the doors without saying a word. He looked up from his book and saw it was the redhead, and shrugged. If it was Erza, he would trust her with his life. So it didn't matter that he didn't know where they were going–for now.

It didn't matter that it was technically-but-not-quite a _date_ and both of them knew it. It didn't matter that Erza had fully intended to pay for the food because she'd dragged Jellal away from the guild in order to have an impromptu (but meaningful) little bonding session. And it didn't really matter that they only bonded a little bit. It was still a _little_ more than the day before, and besides, they would always have tomorrow.

Yes, Erza truly liked the sound of that.

There was always tomorrow.

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><p><strong>Here's the third one. Hope it's okay.<strong>

**I was asked by Innocent Knight to say that she's looking for participants in the Fairy Tail Writing Challenges:2. I assume it will be kind of (but not quite) like litashe's challenge (in which I'm a participant), so if you guys were too late to get in on Lit's challenge, I guess this is the place to go.**

**ANYWAY.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail. I just love it to pieces.**

**Thought it needed said.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	4. Maybe Tomorrow Will Break The Ice

**Oh, dear. What's this strange creature…?**

**It's the fourth drabble-chapter of this drabble series (and longest!). I just had a sudden urge to write some JelZa. **

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><p>Days passed by, each night slipping into the next morning in the hours of the night when respectable people could be found sleeping in their beds or even sprawled on their couches. Still, Jellal found it hard to sleep through these nights. He'd wake in a cold sweat, remembering the voice that had brainwashed him and had controlled him for much of his life and he would regret. He regretted so much in his life that he hadn't had any control over and wanted to repent, to right the wrongs, but he didn't know how. He'd fight for Erza and with Erza and all of her friends, but deep down Jellal felt like it would never be enough.<p>

When had Erza become so caring?

That wasn't right, though, the blue-haired man thought to himself. She had _always_ been so caring. She'd taken the pain for Sho's escape plan years ago, losing her eye to the cruel men who made them slave away day after day. She'd cared enough to try to save him, he vaguely remembered, when he was possessed and trying to complete the Tower of Heaven. There were many things that she'd heard of her doing over the time of his imprisonment…and then the seven years without her, and without everyone else.

The world had considered them dead, but not he.

_Tomorrow_, Jellal had always thought. They'll come back tomorrow.

She was still beautiful, a sexy nineteen year old _goddess_, practically. She was in the prime of her youth. Erza was just so damn gorgeous…and yet here he was. Jellal Fernandez, twenty-six and practically head over heels for a woman who _should_ have been the same age as he but wasn't anymore. It seemed so wrong, but he couldn't help it.

So many nights laying in his bed in the back of the guild, staring either at the ceiling or out the windows at the starry skies, had given him time to think. This insomnia had started soon after his incarceration had begun, and he'd always used it as time to rethink his wrongdoings and try to imagine making reparations. After the disappearance of Tenrou Island and the twenty-one Fairy Tail members on it, he'd used that time to think of Erza, and where she was right now if she wasn't _here_. Because he knew she wasn't dead. They had some sort of bond, and somehow it ran deeper than blood.

On nights when he despaired there were two things he wished. The first and most depressing was that he wished tomorrow would never come, that he wouldn't live to see the morning because there was _nothing_ worth living for anymore. The other thought that crossed his minds on those nights was a fervent wish for tomorrow to hurry and come, because he knew he'd think more clearly and rationally with a bit of sunlight streaming through his window. Sunlight that would remind him of the bright and beautiful Erza, a happy child even in their captivity years before who had grown to make a name for herself and find a whole new family after he'd tossed her out.

But he was no longer trapped in that cell. He had been liberated…sort of. Jellal knew that all of Fairy Tail was supposed to keep an eye on him since the council feared his past misdeeds _weren't_ all because of the brainwashing of Ultear. No one was afraid of him, though. Not as afraid as the rest of the world seemed to be.

For the members of Fairy Tail, the trust placed in him by Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy was enough. His past wrongs had been completely washed away by their warmth and welcoming air, and part of him was thankful for that. He knew he'd be completely lost without this companionship with these great mages, this _love_. Jellal wanted to be more useful to all of them than he was, than the council's few stipulations would allow him to be at present, but he couldn't be. Not yet.

Patience is a virtue that Jellal had learned over time. He'd had seven years of waiting for the Fairy Tail members who had been frozen in time to come back. He'd waited for them, for _her_, so he could wait for the trust of everyone else as long as he needed to.

Somehow, as long as he had the fearless yet broken Titania by his side, everything was fine. With Erza Scarlet on his side, the blue-haired man felt like he could take on the world and thinking on that, he realized he probably could. But Erza was more to him than that, and she would always be more to him than that.

But he was seven years older than she now, and it hurt to think of her in the light that he did. He just couldn't help it. He couldn't accept the fact that age didn't matter when it came to love like Cana had forced Macao to do even though the man was more than twice her age now. Jellal couldn't bring himself to reach forward and defile such a beautiful _young_ woman, because she was _seven years younger than he was_. In his mind, he rationalized this want by recalling that she _should_ be the same age as he, but when he wanted to reach out he found that he couldn't.

Maybe tomorrow would help him break the ice.

There was no time like the present.

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><p><strong>OMG.<strong>

**Anyway, since I don't know what happened to Jellal yet in the most recent chapters (Mashima-sensei, you horrible tease!) I just went on with it. If something bad happened (like, heaven forbid, he was executed in the seven years, or even just **_**died**_**…) we'll just call this AU. But JelZa is meant to be.**

**Ahem.**

**Thanks for reading! Haha.**


	5. Tomorrow is Just The Beginning

**It's been a while since I added a drabble to this! I think this will be the last one, though, since the real storyline deviated somewhat. Haha.**

**Well, here's to the last drabble-chapter of **_**Tomorrow**_**! Thanks for joining me for the ride of my first kind-of multi-chap JelZa fic!**

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><p>Erza couldn't believe what the coming morning would bring. Her hands were clammy and the twenty year old scarlet-haired beauty was fidgeting nervously. It just…it was so hard to wrap her mind around it.<p>

She cast a glance over all the sleeping girls in her rooms, acknowledging the fact that this would be the last time they would all be together like this. Lucy was nearest to her, not even an arm's length away, and near the blonde lay Levy. Over on the other side were Mirajane, Lisanna, Cana, and Bisca. As Erza glanced about the room once more, her eyes fell on Laki, Mickey, Wendy, Evergreen, Juvia, and a few others. They were all worn out from the brief party, and Erza knew she should be asleep, too, but her nerves were getting to her.

The redhead knew she didn't need to be so nervous, but she couldn't help it.

It had been two and a half years since they'd come back from Tenrou Island, and when Erza and Jellal had been on a mission together, just the two of them, within the last year, they had encountered Ultear and Meredy. And inconceivably…Ultear's Arc of Time magic had been offered to make amends. At first, Erza didn't understand, but Jellal had cast a glance her way and stepped forward.

Erza took a few moments to remember the incident.

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><p><em>Jellal stepped closer to Ultear, and Erza wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him back. The look in his eyes, though, stopped her. He was determined; more determined than she'd seen in the last few years. So she took a breath and watched.<em>

"_I won't forget anything?" he asked, which seemed like a really strange question to Erza, but Ultear smiled._

"_Not a thing," the woman agreed with him, gentle smile still adorning her features. "I can't do too much, though, or it could do more harm than good. I'm fairly new at being able to manipulate living things, and it's still a little rough. If you're willing, I could help some. Is three years enough?"_

_The grateful smile that spread across Jellal's face was dazzling and made Erza blink in confusion. _

"_More than," Jellal said. And at this, Erza couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore._

"_What's going on?" she asked, looking between the two older mages warily._

"_She's giving me more time," Jellal said softly, turning to Erza. At her puzzled look, he grinned a little and said, "She can…make me a few years younger again. It not only gives me more time, but it also makes me closer to you again."_

_He didn't need to say much more, because they both knew what he was implying._

"_Your age doesn't matter to me," Erza whispered softly, her voice cracking. Jellal laughed a little hoarsely, reaching up to gently touch her cheek. "It never has!"_

"_No," he replied just as quietly, "but it matters to me. You've always deserved better than me. You deserve someone younger; someone who could give you more…but you never even looked for someone else…"_

"_Of course I didn't," Erza frowned. "There was nothing to look for!"_

"_Please, Erza," his voice was much softer than before. She looked up at his pleading face. "Let me do this for you. You've done so much for me, so let me do this for you. I believe they've changed, and I believe she's sincere. Won't you trust me?"_

"_Fine," she said after a moment of thought. "But on one condition."_

"_Anything."_

_She couldn't believe what she was going to say. "Marry me. In six months."_

_The smile on his face was enough to make her want to cry._

"_Of course, Erza."_

"_But first, before you let her change you…I want you to kiss me."_

_Her heart was thumping rapidly in her chest and she couldn't believe her words, her boldness. But she had said it now and there was nothing she could do to take it back. Not that she wanted to, of course. She'd been dreaming of his kiss for years, and she'd had the courage to ask. Now she could only wait. His gentle smile preceded her wish, kissing her gently and oh-so-sweetly before he stepped back and told Ultear, "I'm ready when you are."_

"_It shouldn't hurt much," Ultear said, "but it will twinge a bit."_

"_That's fine."_

_And so Ultear used her magic as Meredy came and put a gentle, comforting hand on Erza's shoulder._

"_She's wanted to help for a while," the younger girl told Erza confidentially. "She just wanted to make sure she had enough control over her powers. It's kind of a way to repent for all she's done to him in the past. Actually, it's kind of trying to make up to both of you."_

"_I understand," Erza said, watching the vague form in the distance that was her beloved Jellal. Her fingers gently touched her lips and she repeated, "I understand."_

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><p>At the memory, Erza wanted to start crying again. It was six months ago tomorrow, and Jellal had taken her words to heart. Three months before, he'd actually gotten down on one knee and proposed like a gentleman, even though everyone in the guild already knew about their arrangement. He wanted everyone <em>else<em> to know she was off the market, and she didn't mind in the least.

And tomorrow…tomorrow they were getting married.

Erza could remember all the days when she never wanted tomorrow to come, but this wasn't one of them. Tomorrow was just the first day of the rest of their lives.

She couldn't wait to say "I do".

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><p><strong>Well, that's the only flashback in the whole thing, isn't it? I actually kind of like it. I tied a repentant Ultear and Meredy in, somehow, and I think it turned out okay. I hope you guys liked it!<strong>

**Thanks for sticking around for the ride, as short as it was! Heck, maybe there'll be a better, longer JelZa / JerZa / GerZa fic from me in the future? But I can't promise **_**that**_** right now. We'll just have to see!**

**I want to thank everyone who's read this, though. It means a lot. Thank you so much!**


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